The More Things Change
by ThoughtfulTurtle
Summary: Meet Taylor Delgado. Female, 16. Spunky. Sarcastic. Some would call her a 'rebel without a cause.' When she moves across the country to live with her cousin, Bella, and uncle, Charlie, she had no idea Forks and the surrounding area were anything but ordinary. Boy, was she in for a surprise. Or several. First FanFic. Comments and constructive criticism greatly appreciated. Enjoy.


I woke to melancholy gray light streaming weakly through the bedroom window. Although, maybe it was more accurate to say "my" bedroom window. The fact that my alcoholic of a 'mother' was dead and I was now living on the opposite side of the country with my uncle and cousin had yet to fully settle in. It was just yesterday that I had arrived at the tiny Forks Airport after a grand total of some 15 hours in the air and making 3 plane transfers. I was actually pleasantly surprised that my suitcase hadn't gotten lost in all the chaos that was my trip from East to West Coast.

I sighed quietly and turned towards the small window. It was drizzling, and I watched as the light rain beat softly against the windowpane. Today was Monday, and I started school at Forks High today. Not too sure how I was feeling about that. Mostly apathetic I suppose, which is pretty much how I had been feeling for a while, even before my mother kicked the proverbial bucket. I snorted and sat up at that thought; it was her own damn fault, and I couldn't find it in me to feel anything but small pangs of disappointment and disgust.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear those dark thoughts and hopped out of the bed to do some morning exercises. However, even as I neared 100 crunches and flipped over to do some push-ups, my mind was incessant. I couldn't help thinking about how I found her sprawled out on her bed, her body still and unmoving. Couldn't stop from thinking of how my body moved on its own accord, as if on auto-pilot, to get to the phone and call 9-1-1. Watching as if detached from my body as the paramedics wheeled her away and a female police officer gently got me to sit down on one of the battered and well-worn couches as she tried to take my statement. I shook my head again in annoyance, this time much harder than the first, and moved to do wall chairs.

I just wanted the thoughts, the memories to stop. They constantly plagued my dreaming and waking moments, and I just wanted them to go away. I finished my routine, fixed my bed, and headed to the bathroom to change and do morning hygiene. Glancing in the mirror, I hardly recognized the person staring back: she was a lot skinner than the usual person who gazed back, and she had large, dark, bruise-like circles under her eyes. She looked exactly how I felt: sad and tired. I quickly brushed my teeth, flossed, washed my face, and put up my hair into a ponytail.

I threw some skinny jeans, a band tee, and some socks on before doing one final glance-over and heading back out to the guest bedroom. I put my wristbands, bracelets, and rings on, then laced up my black Converse shoes before grabbing my backpack and heading downstairs. I heard Bella in the bathroom getting ready before I descended the staircase, and once in the kitchen, I found some leftover coffee Charlie must have made earlier this morning before heading off to the station. Pouring myself a mug of the still-warm caffeinated stuff, I sat down at the small dining room table and idly flipped through the local newspaper Charlie had left behind, waiting until Bella was ready to drive us both to school.

A few minutes after I had started flipping through the newspaper, I heard Bella coming down the stairs, and when she got to the bottom, I greeted her good morning.

"'Morning Fun-Size," she cheekily replied back to me, to which I just shook my head and smiled ruefully. Bella had dubbed me with the nickname 'Fun-Size' since I had always been (and unfortunately would always be) short, as I was forevermore stuck at the staggering height of 5'2'". She used to call me 'Shortie,' to which I would reply by saying that I wasn't short: I was fun-sized. And hence the more recent nickname of "Fun-Size," although I couldn't really begrudge my cousin for the name choice, as it was better than many others.

I rolled my eyes in good nature.

"Morning back to ya to Astronaut," I replied back, just as cheekily. Bella shook her head and smiled back before heading to the fridge and grabbing an apple. She then sat across from me and nodded towards the paper.

"Anything interesting?" she asked as I finished downing my coffee. I looked up at her incredulously before sarcastically replying,

"Yeah, you know the usual juicy gossip; some couple got married, the hardware store just got a new shipment of lumber, and to top it all of, your father-in-law just got some prestigious medical award for his research into antiseptics." At the mention of the last part, Bella blushed a hot red, to which I smirked somewhat meanly at.

"I thought you and Prince Edward had already had that discussion, that it was settled…?" I asked rather unsure for the first time that morning. Bella, still blushing a bit, rolled her eyes dramatically before replying.

"I – It is settled, it's just that, well, I hadn't thought about that before, not really." I raised an eyebrow to show my confusion, and Bella shook her head slightly and sighed before continuing,

"Carlisle: I had never really thought about the fact that he was, well, is, going to be my erm, well, father-in-law." I nodded in understanding before folding up the paper and setting it back down on the table.

"I was just teasing Bella," I stated as I got up and went over to the sink to wash my mug out. "I'm happy for you, although when I first heard the news, I was somewhat surprised. I didn't know you two had gotten so serious." I had known Bella and "Prince" Edward as I teasingly called him, had been dating for quite some time, but I was rather shocked to learn that he had proposed marriage, and more so surprised that Bella had accepted his proposal.

"He makes you happy, and you make him happy. That's all there is to it, right? I think people like to complicate things more than necessary, but hey, he makes you smile, and that's all I could ask for in a future cousin-in-law!" Bella chuckled lightly before I heard her get up and say she would meet me in the car. I nodded and finished cleaning up a bit before grabbing my backpack and heading out the door. Bella had left the key in the door for me to lock on my way out, and I did so before walking over to and hopping into her "Baby." I handed my cousin her keys back, and she used them to start up the ancient engine.

She fiddled with the radio a bit before putting the truck in reverse and heading out the driveway. With that, we were off to Forks High School.


End file.
